Lot details Registration No: BAZ 7801 Chassis No: SCC085912KHD13602 Mot Expiry: March 2012
Penned by none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro, the super sleek Esprit S1 was prefaced by the 'Silver' concept car of the 1972 Turin Motor Show. The theme was duly developed into the Esprit prototype displayed at the Geneva Salon the following year. However it wasn't until 1976 that the first customer cars were delivered. Though only 714 S1 Esprits were produced, the model was immortalised in the Bond film 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. For the revamped Esprit of 1987, Lotus looked not to Giugiaro but British-born Peter Stevens of McLaren F1 fame, who gave the model a more rounded, softer look, coincident with which Lotus introduced a new, more automated body manufacture process called VARI (Vacuum Assisted Resin Injection). Complete with Kevlar reinforcement to the roof and sides, this made the new model twenty-two percent stiffer than its predecessor. Underneath little had changed, the newcomer being based on a galvanised steel backbone chassis powered by the company's four-cylinder 2174cc engine that offered 172bhp in normally aspirated form. The unit was mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Suspension was independent all round by wishbones and coil springs at the front and unequal length transverse links, radius arms and coil springs at the rear. Braking was by discs all round and steering by rack and pinion. The normally aspirated cars could be readily distinguished from the Turbo examples by the lack of a glass shield between the flying buttresses. The manufacturer's quoted performance figures were in line with expectations, 0-60mph coming up in 6.5 seconds and 138mph being achievable flat out.
The right-hand drive Esprit offered was manufactured in 1989 and features metallic Blue bodywork complemented by a Dark Brown leather interior. The vendor informs us that the engine was overhauled a few years ago and now shows "excellent oil pressure". He regards the bodywork, paintwork, trim, engine and transmission as all "very good". 'BAZ 7801' comes complete with original hand books and is taxed until the end of September and MOT'd into March next year. Still quick and still turning heads, these classic Lotuses are hard to beat in terms of performance per pound.
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